Book explores motorcycle outlaws

They are everywhere. The big bikes, the long hair, the leather jackets. There is a certain air of distinction that follows motorcycles and the people who ride them. In "Wild Ride," Tom Reynolds explores the myths, fact and fiction of motorcycle outlaws.\nPart of the book covers the story of Trash, a Vietnam veteran turned political motorcycle activist. He campaigns in California for a Vietnam veterans' motorcycle license plate and a repeal of California's helmet law, which compels all motorcyclists to wear helmets, much to the dismay of the motorcyclists themselves.\nTrash aptly summarizes the modern-day motorcycle outlaw, someone who, by all physical means, expresses the stereotypical motorcycle outlaw of previous generations. He is scarred by an accident, brutalized by years of motorcycle riding and wears a typical outfit of a Harley Davidson T-shirt, jeans and boots. Of course, he also rides a Harley.\n"Wild Ride" follows outlaw motorcycle myth from start to finish, beginning with the Boozefighters in the 1940s. He explores how several of the modern-day cliches came to be through movies such as "The Wild One," starring Marlon Brando, based loosely (if not inaccurately) on a weekend in Hollister, Calif. During the event, a group of Boozefighters supposedly took over the town, got drunk and generally caused havoc (in reality, the town was ecstatic over all the money it made during the weekend).\nAt the heart of all motorcycle myth is the Harley. Reynolds explains the rise, fall and eventual rejuvenation of Harley-Davidson as it fought against foreign competition, especially from Japan, which made cheap, efficient motorcycles, far superior to the massive and problematic Harleys. Reynolds insists the true motorcycle outlaws were those who rode Harleys and were able to easily customize and repair the machine.\nA good portion of "Wild Ride" is devoted to the exploration of the Hell's Angels motorcycle group. Reynolds chronicles its humble beginnings in 1960 all the way to its modern-day facade as operators of a large, international drug ring, although members of Hell's Angels might argue with the latter point.\n"Wild Ride" details several key points in the Hell's Angels' history, including its interaction with the late 1960s counterculture. Reynolds explains how the Hell's Angels were both the friend and foe of the hippie movement. While the two groups shared a love of music and mind-altering drugs, many motorcycle outlaws were war veterans and took offense to the counterculture's bashing of the Vietnam War.\nIn the end, Reynolds puts a human aspect on the stereotypes of motorcycle outlaws, dispensing some myths and putting fact behind others. Overall, "Wild Ride" gives any motorcycle enthusiast, or even casual fan, the chance to experience the birth and growth of American motorcycle outlaws.